As a part of the year 9 GCSE Sociology curriculum, students draw upon their knowledge of social issues in society and most importantly learn how Sociologists try to explain them. With this in mind, the students were given the opportunity to embark on a five-week project which saw them investigating social issues within Islington. The class separated into small groups where they used a mix of primary and secondary research to gather their data which enabled them to conclude what they felt needed to happen to bring about change. The groups chose an array of social issues such as poverty, homelessness, climate change, knife crime and hate crime within the borough.

The students were given five weeks to prepare presentations which would be delivered to the year 13 Sociology class alongside some staff members. In the meantime, I emailed Jeremy Corbyn inviting him to attend. To our excitement Mr Corbyn accepted our invitation and on Friday 17^th January, they in turn proudly presented their presentations.

Mr Corbyn listened attentively and took part in a Q&A session after each presentation. This provided our students with some useful feedback with areas of strengths highlighted along with strategies needed to put pressure on our government to bring about change. Mr Corbyn particularly liked the practical strategies put forward such as Fadeel’s ‘keep-cup’ idea. This idea suggested that all students in Islington be given a reusable cup to carry their water in to help reduce the amount of plastic sold in schools. He also recognised the severity of knife crime as an issue in Islington and agreed with our students’ suggestion of establishing a more positive relationship with the police, particularly community police and those patrolling our estates. The Year 13 Sociology students also offered some interesting and thought provoking questions during the Q&A session with Adnan drawing upon links to drill music and the need to invest more in youth facilities within our borough. 

Despite the students’ initial anxieties over the presentations, they were an absolute credit to themselves, our school and their local community. The project was a success and the students have built an array of indispensable life skills moving forward.

A huge thank you to all involved, particularly Mrs Cox for all her support and for allowing us to host the event in our wonderful library and of course, to Mr Corbyn for taking the time out of his busy schedule to be a part of our exciting project.